Cerro Lípez

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cerro-lpez

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Central Volcanic Zone, Andes Mountains, Antofagasta Region, northern Chile
2. What is the geological setting?Part of a Quaternary volcanic complex
3. Why are the lakes at Cerro Lípez so colorful?The lakes are very salty and have tiny microbes that make bright colors like red, orange, green, and blue.
4. What animals live on Cerro Lípez?The mountain has wild llamas called vicuñas and three kinds of flamingos that eat tiny shrimp and algae in the salty lakes.

Quaternary Volcanic Zone: A geological region characterized by volcanic activity that occurred during the most recent geological period.
Hypersaline: Describing a body of water with a salt concentration significantly higher than that of the ocean.
Extremophile: An organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions detrimental to most life on Earth.
Camelid: A member of the family Camelidae, which includes camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos.